Products We’re In Love With!
Here’s the dirty little secret of organization. Sometimes, products meant to help organize your things can just mean more countertop clutter. I can’t tell you how many cluttered homes I’ve gone into that were trying desperately to organize themselves with the wrong product. Also, ironically, I end up donating more books on organizing than I see people actually putting them to good use!
Stop wasting money on the wrong product -
Below are some Do’s and Don’ts when shopping for products to make your home more organized and pleasant to live in.
1. Huge desktop organizers -
Don’t: We throw away so many of these when helping Clients declutter and organize. They are just dust catchers and take up so much space on an already full desk surface.
Do: Instead, why not use a simple filing cabinet or an in drawer filing system? They come in small sizes, perfect for holding all of your domestic papers and files in your home office, AND they are available in such cute colors now! https://tinyurl.com/w9uprz6d.
2. Surface top jewelry organizers -
Don’t: Some of these can look fun and possibly decorative, but again, all we see dust, dust, dust, especially the velvet ones. My main concern with the table top organizers is the cluttered look.
Do: We love this hanging organization solution and have used it for our Clients, who are thrilled to be able to keep all of their jewelry in one place without tangling or collecting dust. The best part about this is it hangs - so no taking up valuable surface space! https://tinyurl.com/mtcnuarn.
3. Plastic drawers -
Don’t: We spend more time donating these plastic drawer units as they are unwieldy and are a waste of prime “real estate” in your closet. OFab has the answers, though!
Do: We prefer these stackable clear plastic bins from The Container Store’s Home Edit Collection. They can store a plethora of things (large and small) and they stack, making really great organization systems that fit just about anywhere. https://tinyurl.com/bdypztze.
4. Shoe boxes -
Don’t: Many people want to store their shoes in shoe boxes, to protect them and keep them looking new. Well, we’ve learned that all this does is take up way more space than it should, since only one pair of shoes fits in each one.
Do: Use shoe shelves. These can be stacked and can be used in even the worst closet set ups! We love these from Target. For the amount of space these shelves take up, you can get a surprisingly large number of shoes (or t-shirts, jeans, shorts, and even office papers) not only protected but visible to you. And who doesn’t want to lovingly gaze at their shoe collection? (Or is that just us?) https://tinyurl.com/ycynk6pm.
The OFab Way!
A great deal of keeping things tidy comes down to using great organizing products. At OFab, we are veteran product shoppers and we know aaaaallll the tricks!
In addition to the above, we recommend using all of the following for peak organization:
Hat hanging dowels - hang your hats so you can see them and voilà! Hang them around the top of any room or closet to use your hats as decor! https://tinyurl.com/2p83zaj9.
Hat/cap organizers - If you have a ball cap collection, these will save so much space and time spent looking for the one you want. We love that they can be doubled up on the back of a door so no one will judge your collection! https://tinyurl.com/5n6kcb27.
Flip flop hanger - These are a perfect solution for way more than flip flops. We use these on the back of a door to hang belts, ties, handbags, hair accessories, and anything else you can think of! https://boottique.com/products/the-flip-flop-hanger.
Bag/purse clear hanging bags - Not only do these clear hanging bags come in all different sizes, use these to store all of your purses and you can easily see which handbag looks best with your outfit! https://tinyurl.com/4hsnm998.
Hooks! As we’ve noted before, if you don’t know where to put things, use your walls! Hooks, adhesive or otherwise, will change your life! Command has several sizes and types of hooks, for every possible use. https://tinyurl.com/y6d4cj2z.
Rolling carts - These can be used as craft carts, office carts, or a bar cart. I use mine as a craft cart - and a bar cart, who are we kidding! https://tinyurl.com/3x95akfr.
Rolling rack: When your closet can no longer hold all of your (growing?) couture, rolling racks are a perfect solution! I suggest you put all of your cutest pieces on this rack so you can use them as display! https://tinyurl.com/2j8swrvc.
At OFab, we always aim to find the perfect products for every organization problem out there. We try to use what our Clients already have, but updating your products may solve some of your tough clutter concerns. If you have any of these particular problems, we have the solutions.